Our partners
UNICEF works with the institutions of the European Union to uphold children’s rights across Europe and worldwide
Together, the European Union and UNICEF unite Brussels‑level influence with global, EU‑funded on-the-ground action to drive real change for children in more than 140 countries. The EU-UNICEF partnership drives long-term, sustainable change by strengthening localisation, empowering communities and reinforcing the systems children rely on today and for generations to come.
Our Partners
Through the sustained commitment of the EU to children and their rights, and its partnership with us, UNICEF is ensuring that children and families affected by crises as well as those working to build more stable and sustainable futures can access the support they need. By investing in resilient health, education, social protection and child‑protection systems, and by embedding child‑sensitive approaches across EU external action, the EU-UNICEF partnership helps deliver lasting results that protect children’s rights now and build stronger, more inclusive societies for the future.
To achieve these results for children, UNICEF partners with the Directorate-Generals for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf (DG MENA), for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST), and for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL).
In Brussels, UNICEF engages strategically with Members of the European Parliament to champion children’s rights and ensure that EU legislation and policy making systematically integrate the needs, voices and lived realities of children and young people.
UNICEF supports the European Council with evidence-based analysis and technical expertise, while working closely with each EU Council Presidency to position children and child rights as a core political priority. Through coordinated “One UNICEF” targeted engagement with EU Member State Permanent Representations, UNICEF works to ensure that children’s needs and perspectives are embedded in Presidency agendas and Council decisions.
UNICEF engages with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to help ensure that EU external investments deliver tangible benefits for children. The partnership combines EIB’s financing expertise with UNICEF’s technical and operational presence to strengthen essential services for children, including health systems and vaccination efforts.
UNICEF works with the European External Action Service (EEAS) by sharing field insights that help inform the EU’s diplomatic, humanitarian, and development positions on children’s rights.